Image: SEBASTIEN BOZON (AFP)
After 90 minutes it was 2-1 for Fiorentina (3-3 overall). After winning 2-1 in London, West Ham also won 1-0 in the away game in Alkmaar.
This means that Italian Serie A has three finalists in the UEFA club competitions alongside Inter Milan (Champions League) and AS Roma (Europa League). Fiorentina could follow Roma as the second winner of the still young Conference League. The Florentines have been waiting for an international title since 1966, when they won the Mitropacup. West Ham are in contention for their first European trophy since winning the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965.
Basel, coached by former Sturm coach Heiko Vogel, was the first Swiss team to miss out on the historic entry into a European final. The 2-1 lead from the first leg was not enough in the home “Joggeli”. The former Swiss series champion, currently only the sixth strongest force at home, suffered a setback twice from Nicolas Gonzalez (36th, 72nd). In each case, young star Zeki Amdouni acted indisposed in his own penalty area.
At least once the scorer made up for his mistake. When he scored to make it 1-1 (55th), he duped the former Salzburg and Austria defender Igor. But the eighth in Serie A proved to be a more mature and far more dangerous side. After a several-minute stoppage due to a medical emergency in the Italian fans’ sector, Barak scored the gold goal.
West Ham sovereign
In Alkmaar, the “Hammers” didn’t burn anything after the 2-1 win in London. Rather, the English initially made the more dangerous impression in a game with few chances. A shot from Lucas Paqueta touched the outside bar (25′). In the second half, the fourth-placed Netherlands got stronger, but there weren’t any clear chances to score. When the home side threw everything forward, Pablo Fornals fixed the away win (95th). Alkmaar must therefore continue to wait for a major European final since that in the UEFA Cup in 1981 (with Austria’s Kurt Welzl).
Source: Nachrichten
